Following disappointing performance in the qualification round of the AFC Asian Cup, Bangladesh football team will be looking to bounce back when they face hosts Cambodia Thursday evening in a Fifa friendly.
The match, scheduled to be held at Morodok Techo National Stadium in Phnom Penh, gets underway at 6pm Bangladesh time.
The Bengal Tigers failed to win a single game in the Asian Cup qualification and finished bottom of Group E comprising Bahrain, Malaysia and Turkmenistan.
Jamal Bhuiyan and Co conceded eight goals in the qualification, third worst in the group phase behind Nepal (13) and Myanmar (12), and concluded their campaign with a 4-1 loss to Malaysia on the final matchday.
Bangladesh are winless in their last seven international games.
Cambodia have also not been in the best of form lately winning just one of their four games in 2022 – a 2-1 victory over Timor-Leste in a friendly.
Thursday’s hosts also played three times in the Asian Cup qualifiers, but failed to win any, losing twice and drawing once.
If not recent results then Javier Cabrera’s charges will surely take inspiration from their head to head record against Cambodia.
In their four previous encounters Bangladesh won thrice and drew the other.
Their last meeting ended in a 1-0 victory for Bangladesh in March, 2019 while Cambodia also lost 2-1 in the AFC Challenge in April, 2006.
The men in red and green had also won their international friendly 1-0 in April, 2009 while the two teams played out a 1-1 draw in the Nehru Cup in August, 2007.
Bangladesh team: Ashraful Islam Rana, Anisur Rahman Zico, Mahfuz Hasan Pritom, Yeasin Arafat, Bishwanath Ghosh, Rimon Hossain, Tariq Raihan Kazi, Tutul Hossain Badshah, Riyadul Hasan Rafi, Isa Faysal, Rahmat Mia, Masuk Miah Joni, Biplo Ahmed, Jamal Bhuiyan, Rakib Hossain, Mohammad Atiqur Rahman Fahad, Sohel Rana, Hemanta Vincent Biswas, Suman Reza, Mohammad Ibrahim, Matin Miah, Foysal Ahmed Fahim and Sazzad Hossain
